Introduction

Each freshman at SUNY College at Brockport participates in the Summer
Reading Program. The purpose of this program is to help orient new students
to the Brockport academic community by having a common reading experience
with fellow classmates and faculty members. First-year students receive
a copy of the book with support materials and additional information
about the program in early July.

The summer reading project is a valued experience at SUNY Brockport
and continues to be part of our involvement in the American Democracy
Project for Civic Engagement, a national, multi-campus initiative that
seeks to foster informed civic engagement in the United States. The
project seeks to create a greater intellectual understanding and commitment
to participate in the civic life of the United States. Students will
be asked to react to the book during the Orientation weekend and throughout
the semester. They will also take part in discussions, projects and
lectures debating noteworthy themes generated by the book.

Summer 2005 ChoiceThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Hadden

From the Publisher

Christopher
John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals
and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has
no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. Although
gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday
interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. Routine,
order and predictability shelter him from the messy, wider world. Then,
at fifteen, Christopher's carefully constructed world falls apart when
he finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork, and
he is initially blamed for the killing.

Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer and turns
to his favorite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock
Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected
paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of
his parents' marriage. As he tries to deal with the crisis within his
own family, we are drawn into the workings of Christopher's mind.

And herein lies the key to the brilliance of Mark Haddon's choice of
narrator: The most wrenching of emotional moments are chronicled by
a boy who cannot fathom emotion. The effect is dazzling, making for
a novel that is deeply funny, poignant, and fascinating in its portrayal
of a person whose curse and blessing is a mind that perceives the world
literally.